A Full Reds Team Set of

1987 K-Mart

10 Frank Robinson

12 Johnny Bench
19 Pete Rose

I have been hearing the grumblings.
"Look at Bay Rat and all his shiny Reds."
"All Bay Rat has are serial numbered cards. What a mo mo."
"If I see another game used Reds card........."

For those who thought I was too high puhlootin to mix it up with the lesser folk here is proof I can kick it old school and show off my mad cuhlektn sklz.

How can anyone who was collecting in the mid eighties not have these cards? 79¢ a box in '82 and then 99¢ in '87 for a box of these bad boys. Can you think of any other sets from then that have retained their values? I think not.

These glossy cards mark the celebration of 25 years of Blue Light Specials and crappy toy knockoffs. I bet that is where dayf got his first one! Nicer photos than in '82 and better printing make this a better set. At least to me.

How can you go wrong with Frank, Pete and Johnathan? You can't!

I Gots Some Reds Cards

And You Aint Got None!

At least none from Cardboard Junkie. I contacted Ol' Dayf (as his closest friends know him) about a certain card. I wondered what it would take to pry it from his warm, live fingers and we swapped auto cards. He also included this smorgasborg of extras.

A near complete Team Set of 1988 Topps Big
If anyone has card 167 Nick Esascky let me know.
I like this set. Just a smidge bigger than normal but cool back and good photos of both portrait and action shots on front.

No. 20 Eric Davis
No. 48 Kalvoski Daniels
No. 74 Barry Larkin
No. 96 Tom Browning
No. 144 Dave Concepcion
1982 All-Star Game M.V.P.
No. 214 Jeff Treadway
No. 232 John Franco

2 Holgram Stickers from Upper Deck

2003 SP Legendary Cuts
No. 40 Ernie Lombardi
Ernie was a Hall of Fame catcher before there was such a thing. A good hitting catcher who was great defensively. Runner did not run on him often and he was known as a great game caller. A key member of the Reds 1940 World Series team and 1938 M.V.P. The card itself shows Ernie warming up before a shutout of the Chicago National League Team on July 9, 1938 at their own field. 11 - 0. The card itself is ho hum and too dark for my liking.

1989 Topps Sticker Cards
No. 65 John Franco
No. 47 Eric Davis
Both cards have no stickers on the back.
They must be on Junkie's English notebook next to the I love (Wife's name) drawing.

A 2002 Bowman Heritage of
NOOCHIE!
Man I wanted Noochie Varner to make the big leagues. The name alone would have made him a star. Alas it was not meant to be. He was traded in 2002 to the Tigers I think and has not made it. Plus I have a friend who everyone calls Nootchie because he says Nootchie Rats instead of Nutria rats.

You down with O-Pee-Chee?
Yeah you know me!

A Hockey Stick Set Card
No. 427 Ron Oester

1983 Topps No. 554 Mike Vail.
This guy is one of the variation cards in 1981 Donruss. Good luck finding both versions.

Vintage 1987 Woodgrain Set
No. 412 Eric Davis
Is it just me or he have a look of "Who the heck does this Larkin kid think he is? Autograph a ball for is Mom?

1997 SP
No. 54 Hal Morris
Hal was born in Fort Rucker, AL.
I once drove through there. On my way to someplace nice.

1988 Topps
No. 282 Pat Perry
What kind of career have you had when after 4 seasons in the majors the highlights on the back are that you played Little League and American Legion ball, Has a wife and 2 daughters and was traded by the Cardinals?

1994 Leaf
No. 426 Erik Hanson

1994 Pinnnacle
No. 510 Bret Boone

1990 Topps
No. 176 Luis Quinones

2001 Topps
No. 570 Sean Casey
No. 593 Ken Griffey
How much does Topps dislike Griffey to give him No. 593?
Isn't that kind of card number reserved for a Cub?

Eh? You want more Canadian cards?
1986 Leaf
No. 179 Tom Browning

2003 Topps
No. 18 Jason LaRue
No. 30 Ken Griffey Jr.

2003 Game Face
No. 33 Aaron Boone

2000 Stadium Club
No. 30 Barry Larkin
Gaze in awe at the effortless Larkin Leap over Barry Bonds to complete the double play.

2004 Donruss
No. 251 Ken Griffey Jr.
I miss Donruss. They may have had 200 parallels per card but they made some nice ones

2005 Topps Cracker Jack
No. 49 Adam Dunn
Look at Dunn as he shows just how bad the Cubs sluggers are. Notice that it seems they barley get it to the outfield? OOOOOOO. It looks like Adam fears them about as much as facing Kerry wood fresh out of rehab. Again.

1986 Topps
No. 54 John Franco
Who was writing card backs for Topps in 1985?
This is the third card I have come across that says someone walloped a Home Run.
What up with that?
Might have to do an All-Time Wallop card countdown.

1996 Pinnacle Aficondio
No. 177 Steve Gibraltar

I like these cards. They are like an early 2000 Fleer Gamers with the silver textured foil and a good smooth photo on the front together. They could have done a better job of making his name fit on the front. Looks out of place and off center. Like a Cubs fan.

For Austin Kearns Cards click here. I am enjoying this blog. I have met plenty of great people. Made some good trades to rebuild the Reds collection and have had a lot of fun writing this. Thanks to all who check me out and feel free to contact me about ant trades or offers. Especially if you play for the Reds or live in the Cincinnati area. I would like to hear from you.

Where do I start?

Having arrived home after another week on the road I have 2 bubble mailers waiting on me to open them. The 1st is from Cardboard Junkie. A guy who likes the Braves for some reason. All I did was send him some lousy Braves cards. And he overflows a mailer with these gems of cardboard inking technology.

Fleer Team Logo Sticker with Fun Facts on the Back!
1988 Topps All-Star Glossy Set of 60
No. 16 Eric Davis

1985 Topps
No. 54 Cesar Cedeno
A base stealing machine until he came to the Reds.
No. 175 Dave Parker
The Cobra!

1977 Topps World Series Highlights
Cather on Catcher Violence as Thurman bum rushes Bench.

2003 Topps Heritage
No. 347 Sean Casey
No. 325 Adam Dunn

2000 Upper Deck
No. 88 Scott Williamson

2000 Topps HD
No. 76 Sean Casey
This is one of the greatest bad facial photos ever! 2000 photos and they choose this one.

2002 Upper Deck Vintage
No. 257 Dmitri Young

2002 Stadium Club
No. 82 Barry Larkin

1999 Topps Gold Label
No. 71 Class 1 Greg Vaughn

2001 Topps Archives
No. 37 Jim Maloney
No. 273 Tony Perez


2002 Filler Card
Dunn and Pujols? On one card? Jackpot!
Just find 20,000 more of these and I can retire after having them graded.

1982 Topps
No. 459 Bruce Berenyi
The best record in baseball and did not make the playoffs. Stupid strike and damn Braves!

1979 Topps
No. 354 Bill Bonham

Facts on the back:
Bill had 4 strikeouts in one inning against the Cubs in 1972.

What happened on September 27, 1935?
Cubs clinched the N.L. pennant.
Then lost to the Tigers in the series. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

1978 Topps
No. 326 Mike Lum

Play Ball Game on back:
Play - Strikeout.
Perfect play after Mikes's .160 Avg. in 1977.
Mendoza has bragging rights over someone at least.

1986 Topps Super Star (Woolworth's Box Set)
No. 27 Dave Parker
I feel like Riki-Tiki-Tavi with all these Cobras

1975 Topps
No. 133 Dan Driessen

1974 Topps
No. 287 Clay Kirby

1972 Topps
No. 311 Clay Carroll

1990 Leaf
No. 321 Hal Morris

1998 Donruss Signature
Aaron Boone
1955 Topps
No. 3 Art Fowler

For Austin Kearns cards go here.
Thanks to the Cardboard Junkie and all his brethren out there. If you have Reds cards to trade let me know. We will see what we can work out.

A Late Thank You

Thank you to the people at Topps

Thank you to the people at Donruss

On August 29, 2005 my life changed.

At about 10 AM I watched as white caps formed on the road in front of my mother's home. For those who do not know what white caps are it is a term used to describe the white foam on top of a wave as it crests and breaks. Why is this unusual? I was one mile from the shore and 28 feet above sea level. That is what it was like when Hurricane Katrina came through. In under 10 minutes it went from water on the road to 6 foot in the home. I managed to get the six people there to safety quickly and save some artwork but all else was lost. My mother was lucky.

My home of two weeks that I had wanted to buy for as long as I remember was washed away. Along with 25 years of collecting and a lifetime of mementos. All the Reds cards, photos, autos and stuff I had made a special room for (I was single) were gone. It was tough but you move on. About two weeks later various card companies had sent packages. Topps and Donruss had sent cases of baseball, football and basketball. I have scanned in some of the better pulls from the boxes I was able to crack open in the midst of the uncertainty.

2005 Topps
No. 645 Reds Team Card
The Greatest Professional Baseball Team

2005 Donruss
No.151 Barry Larkin

2005 Donruss
Power Alley Insert
Ken Griffey Jr.
Sereil Numbered 572 / 2500

2005 Topps Bazooka
4 - in -1 Sticker Insert No. 3
Austin Kearns / J.D. Drew - A former Brave for certain blogger / Torii Hunter / Juan Pierre
How often do you have a card with 4 players all on other teams so soon?

2005 Topps Heritage
No. 57 Adam Dunn

2005 Finest
No. 95 Adam Dunn
Green X-Fractor 11 / 50

Home Run Dunn is watching the ball fly off of a Clemens mess up into the bleachers at Minute Maid Park. A fantastic ball park if you ever get the chance. And hot dogs are waaaaay less expensive that Turner Dogs.

2005 Topps Total
No. 53 Cin 5 Paul Wilson
Remember when this guy was on the Mets and was supposed to be the next Maddux? He did a good job with the Reds and was a good coah for the younger guys.

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings
No. 75 Danny Graves
Autograph 93 / 100
The autograph is well placed and the artwork is great! This is my favorite DK set. The card layout, the colors blend well and the portraits are the best of any set. The sticker is recessed in the card and not on the surface. I am beggining to like this way of doing it.

2005 Donruss Studio
No. 80 Bubba Nelson
Private Signings Autograph Silver 72 / 100

This was one of the best gifts someone like us collectors can receive in such circumstances. It was a very bright spot in my life at the time. The great feel of the packs in the hands and to hear the rip of the foil.

Notice the one company not mentioned (Fleer was bankrupt). They wrote a form letter to Matt that had in it "Sorry we cannot help with your project/charity" and "Good luck with your project/charity and remember us in your purcahsing future." I understand they cannot answer to everyone but that is cold. And I have never purchased another UD product new again. I am not saying never buy new Upper Deck, just letting you know why I do not.

Reds and White Sox trade Update

A trade was recently triggered between the Reds (fan) and White Sox (fan).

Reds get Bip Roberts, Ron Gant, Adam Dunn, Brandon Phillips, Eric Davis, Joe Oliver, Kyle Lotzkar and Austin Kearns in exchange for over hyped White Sox players Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee, Paul Konerko and 12 players to be named later.

Steve from White Sox Cards sent me this fine batch of cards. I got the cards in the mail on Saturday and am glad I did. I did not look like this when I opened my mailbox. So without further ado I present to you:

Card 1
2005 Donruss Team Heroes
No. 89 Eric Davis
One of the most gifted players ever in the Reds organization.

Card 2
2007 Topps Turkey Red
No 355 Adam Dunn
Red Border Parallel

Card 3
2006 Bowman Heritage
No. 142 of a Series of 300
Brandon Phillips

Card 4
1995 Sp
Platinum Power insert
PP 3 Ron Gant
Nice looking card. I like die cuts. Shows imagination.

Card 5
1993 Triple Play
No. 88 Bip Roberts

Card 6
1994 Donruss
No. 249 Joe Oliver

Card 7
2007 Prospects Plus
No. 13 Kyle Zotzkar

The other cards are posted at Austin Kearns Cards. So keep a lookout at White Sox Cards as Steve will (I am sure) be overjoyed at being able to post the cards I sent to him. Thanks Steve!

How did the Reds get so lucky?

That is a good question. While it seems every other team in 1990 Topps Baseball got hosed with garish designs, the Reds had a smooth and easy on the eyes border. No contrasting orange, red and teal. No hot pink and yellows. Simple blues and red with a little yellow added for variety. Cause that is the spice of life!

Todays card is:
1990 Topps
No. 46 Rob Dibble
The photo works well for the card.
Dibbs following through on a warm up pitch before he closes out another win. Those 100 MPH Fastballs and the snarl made many a batter wonder why they bothered. When a relief pitcher wins NLCS MVP honors like Rob did in 1990 you know he is "Nasty." The fluid motion his body is ending in. Notice the squared off shoulders, the balance and the pained, hungover expression from a night out with Charlie Sheen. The mullet just peeking out of the back of the hat. And for some reason a blue uniform instead of a gray one. Must be the heat of the pennant race and the astroturf. The action photo is simple. That seems to be Topps' style in 1990. No complaints here.

9 and 0 in '90
Never Forget!

And in case you were wondering:

2005 All-Time Fan Favorites (Cause he is)

Rob is a little older in this picture but still bringing the heat.

Today I am Upset

I feel like the Mets just won the N.L. Championship Series.

Against the Reds.

In the Seventh Game.

Bottom of the Ninth.

Two outs.

Grand Slam by Pedro Martinez.

Then are swept by Tampa Bay in the World Series.

Going through cards to scan I came across this card:

2004 Leaf Certified Materials
No. 16 Austin Kearns
Mirror Red Autograph Parallel
Numbered 13 / 200

Not a bad card overall. An action photo on front of Austin slapping a double off of Glavine to drive in Griffey Jr. The design of the front is cool. Plenty of bling to shine in kids eyes to get them hooked on collecting. Two cards and I can make earrings for my special lady. As the card says Reds fans had optimism for Austin. Great makings as a hitter and proven fielder. But he is gone.
Here is what makes me (Cue Charlie Brown Do-Do-Doooo Music) sad.



Not sure what I am talking about? Here is a closer look.


The sticker is coming apart. It is flaking and breaking off. Why? This card has seen the light of only six or seven days. It's not as noticeable but it is breaking off just under the autograph. This has me dismayed. I have never cared if the autograph was on a card or sticker. It was an autograph. I have autographs on paper, balls, bats, helmets and jerseys. Who cares what it is on?

Now I do. There is no reason for this sticker to be breaking apart. Now I want to find another card to replace this one. Where? Looking closely at other stickers I have some things came to light. The ends are starting to pull up. Dust is collecting on edges of the clear stickers.

This is not happening on all stickers. There are stickers such as 2004 Skybox LE History of the Draft were the sticker is inside the card and not on the top. There are no problems with these stickers. No peeling. No dirt. No cracking. I would say it was just Leaf stickers but it is not. I found this on SP and other Upper Deck products. But not Topps products. I do not have as many Topps to compare with but those are holding up well.

So take a look at yours. Make sure down the road they are not breaking apart. I know I will be more careful in the future.

Something Steve did

Two posts ago I asked everyone to send in their ideas for new card designs. Not just for 2008 Topps. But if you wanted to redo 1982 K-Mart feel free. Heck, I would be interested to see a new Toys R Us Rookies.

Today from White Sox Cards his take on 2008 Topps.

From the keystrokes
of Steve himself:

"It is something fun, classic and a head scratcher. What exactly is Mark Buehrle doing holding a clock in the middle of U.S. Cellular Field?"

Simple Steve.
As you can see by the sign over his shoulder
"It's Miller Time!"

As for my opinion.
Nice job! You're Hired!